“Will that be before or after you take whatever it is you’ve dug up on our land to your dickhead boss?” Ridge’s voice isn’t loud right now, but it still rattles my bones. “What did you find anyway? We’re all dying to know.”
When I look into Ridge’s eyes, I can see the anger. But I also feel a sense of something else. Sympathy maybe? Pity perhaps? Maybe I’m crazy for thinking this way, but something inside me tells me that even though he’s angry and he wants all those answers, he was also trying to save me from answering his mom. Because after we went to the tree farm and he found out a bitabout why I didn’t celebrate Christmas, I’m sure he knows that no one is waiting for me back home.
“Ridge, cut the shit,” Riley warns him.
“Wait, what?” Easton looks around the table. “What is he talking about?”
As much as I hate to admit it, I’d rather have them all look at me like I’m an awful human and scream at me about business-related shit than talk about Christmas and why I hate it as much as I do.
While everyone else demands answers, Tucker, per usual, says nothing. He just sits in his seat, observing his family. But when I look at him, even he looks at me kind of weird instead of his bashful self.
Even he sees through my bullshit now.
“What the hell is going on?” Easton keeps a fork in his fingers, pressed against the plate of food that I think is his third, but his eyes sweep the table intensely.
“Yeah, someone fill us in.” Tucker’s voice is stern and angry. “What the hell didshedo?”
Out of all of them being mad at me, for some reason, Tucker hits me the hardest. Which makes no sense because I haven’t spent any time with him. Hell, I’ve only heard his voice a few times, and he’s never actually spoken to me. But during the times when Ridge was being an ass, I’d always look across the table and find Tucker’s face with absolutely no judgment on it. Now, it quite possibly holds the most.
Katherine’s face flashes with sympathy, but she sighs. “Perhaps you should just take the floor, Stella,” she whispers. “That way … it’s all out there.”
Before I even answer, Mathew is reaching in front of me, filling my glass with wine. When my eyes meet his, he gives me a subtle nod of reassurance. I don’t know why on earth he’d help me out right now, but for whatever reason, he is.
Taking the glass, I take a long swig, hoping it’ll settle my nerves. When that doesn’t happen, I realize I’m on my own here. Every single person at this table deserves to know the truth—just how shady of a person the man I work for can be.
“When I was sent here to talk to you all, I was told you owned a large amount of waterfront property, and we had big plans for it if we could get you to sell,” I say honestly and evenly. “Not long after I arrived, I learned that I’d have better luck winning the Powerball than I ever would at convincing this family to part with their land—no matter what the number on the check was.”
My eyes find Ridge’s, and I can tell he’s hanging on my every word. His eyes aren’t angry, but inquisitive.
“The other day, I informed my boss that it was time to look at other properties, that this was a dead end. With my whole entire heart, I know this land means everything to you all, and I knew I needed to give up any idea or fantasy I had of closing this deal for Ironbound.” I sigh, cringing. “And let’s just say, my boss didn’t want to hear that.” I chew my lip, looking down at my plate.
“From the time his spoiled ass came into this world, Victor Johnson has never been told no, and when I told him my thoughts, he started to talk crazy and say things that indicated he believed he could find a loophole to get your land.”
“Loophole?” Easton says. “What kind of loophole?”
My eyes move to Mr. Adams. “He thinks that with an oceanfront property so large, at some point, something wasn’t done legitimately. He really thinks that if we dig up enough dirt, we’ll find something shady.”
I don’t know what I expect him to do. Flinch maybe? Because in my experience, everyone has something to hide. And perfect families like this one are often not as flawless as they may seem. But instead of looking uncomfortable or shifting in his seat, Mathew looks … relaxed.
“He can dig all he wants. He isn’t going to find anything.” He lifts his fork, taking a bite of casserole. “That’s damn good, hon.”
“Mathew,” Katherine scolds him, “didn’t you hear what she said? How can you be so sure?”
He takes a sip of his drink before setting the glass back down on the wood table. “Because I’m not stupid. I knew the day would come when some asshole showed up, trying to take what was ours.” He stops, waving his hand toward me. “Not you, Stella. You’re not the asshole.”
“She kind of is,” Ridge utters, earning him a glare from both of his parents.
“Anyway, we have nothing to worry about.” He shrugs. “So, you can all calm the hell down and enjoy Christmas.”
My eyes stay on him. “You’re sure?” I whisper. I swear to God, I feel like I could cry tears of relief right now. “Because I’m telling you, he’s ruthless. So is his dad.”
Setting his fork down, he wipes his mouth. “Stella, this land is the most important thing to this family, besides each other. So, yes, I’m sure there is absolutely nothing about the land or us that your scumbag piece-of-shit boss is going to dig up.”
It takes a moment to digest, but eventually, I sigh in relief. Ever since my phone call that day with Victor, I’ve been sick to my stomach, thinking that something was going to happen to this land. Before I met this family, maybe I wouldn’t have cared. But now? I can’t even fathom it because they are all genuine, good people. I suppose I should never have assumed that they ever did anything shady to get this land because that’s not who they are. This family has values and integrity.
Unlike my boss.
The celebration in my head is short-lived because, of course, Ridge is instantly back to firing questions my way. He hasn’t trusted me since I landed here. So, why on earth would he start now?
